CFRTAC Commentary Sums Up Busy Summer

With the many wonderful distractions of a Montana summer, it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on in the world around us.

3B sediment removal

Here in Milltown, progress on the cleanup of the Superfund site marches forward as Envirocon is nearly finished excavating the sediments slated for removal. And we’re hearing early reports, though still awaiting official announcement, that the sediments in the old Clark Fork River bed – known as the 3B sediments – will be removed and placed in a neighboring tunnel pond repository. While the legal wrangling still continues, this, cross our fingers, if true, will prove to be great news as it removes toxic sediments from the Clark Fork’s banks and eliminates the need for an unsightly rip-rap protective structure on the flood plain’s edge. Stay tuned for more about that in the weeks to come.

New Citizens Advisory Board appointed

Also on the good news front, we’ve also heard that the Governor has finally appointed a citizens advisory board to the Natural Resource Damage Program. That board helps vet projects for funding and makes recommendations to the governor about restoration in the upper Clark Fork River basin. They’ve got their work cut out for them as there are 13 proposed projects totaling $23 million in a year that has only $15 million to give. Here’s wishing them well on the learning curve.

Grant Proposal for Trails, Bridge and Park

One of the 13 projects is a proposal to fund a park vision at the Milltown site at the confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers. The proposal, submitted by the Milltown Superfund Redevelopment Working Group and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department, envisions a riverfront trail from the pedestrian bridge in Milltown that leads down to the confluence area and a modest pavilion with interpretive displays and then onto to a second pedestrian bridge across the Clark Fork – all ultimately connecting to the Kim Williams Trail.

Kim Williams Trail connection threatened

The City of Missoula established the Kim Williams Trail in 1980 when voters approved the first Open Space Bond Issue. When the Milltown Redevelopment Working Group held public meetings about redevelopment at the Confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork Rivers, 88% of written comments favored trails, especially the proposed Riverfront Trail connection.

Many have stepped forward to help push this vision toward reality: Lands have been donated by Plum Creek Timber Company, NorthWestern Corporation, the Jacobs Family and Northwest Carpenter’s Union.

One critical piece is a downstream subdivision proposed by a Missoula developer, who has sued the city to challenge a provision that would require a trail easement through the development. If successful, the lawsuit could effectively crush the dream of extending the Clark Fork Riverfront Trail from the beloved Kim Williams Trail to the restored Confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork Rivers.

We see the Riverfront Trail as a win-win. It offers the public of all ages and abilities clean, healthy transportation alternatives, quality recreation, and the appreciation of natural resources along the newly restored, healthy Clark Fork River. It offers families an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors together in a way that is healthy, inexpensive, and fun.

And happily, the Riverfront Trail also benefits future residents of the proposed subdivision. Surely residents will want to access the trails and restored natural areas in the park, to bike into Missoula, or to cross the Clark Fork and head up the Blackfoot Trail. The Riverfront Trail offers all of these possibilities.

Let’s hope community spirit, not to mention enlightened self-interest, will prevail and make this riverfront trail a reality.

Virtual Interpretive Center open for viewing

And finally, one other piece of good news relating to Milltown redevelopment is the launch of a new website, Two Rivers History.net. History and culture has been a central concern for the Working Group and this virtual interpretive is devoted to exploring the rich history found at the Confluence of the Clark Fork and Blackfoot Rivers and neighboring communities of Bonner, Milltown, Piltzville, Pine Grove, and West Riverside.

The confluence is a place of national historical significance. Through brief essays, slideshows, and multimedia clips this website helps uncover some of the layers of history that began with the last ice dam in the area that unleashed the Glacial Lake Missoula floods some 13,000 years ago, and continues forward to present day with the removal of the Milltown Dam and the restoration of Two Rivers Confluence. There's a lot of history in between and this website is devoted to telling some of those stories, oftentimes in the voices of community members themselves.

This website is a project of the History & Culture Committee of the Milltown Superfund Redevelopment Working Group and was made possible by a grant from the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula.

This is Judy Matson for the Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee. Visit the CFRTAC.org for the latest news on the cleanup, restoration, and redevelopment and while you’re at it check out tworivershistory.net (spelled out as one word) for the latest on the past. Thanks for listening.